Two Champions, Two Journeys: Bella Boggs and Peter Basdekis close out Cross Country seasons that will be hard to forget. This year’s cross country season gave us impressive accomplishments. Bella and Peter, making their own path to the podium, finished their high school seasons as state champions-one defending a title, the other rising to get his first. With the guidance of the coaches, the boys team won 7 meets which led up to them winning the state championship. The boys’ teams had three athletes place in the Top 5: Peter Basdekis in first, Will Barton in second, Charlie Barton in fourth. Bella’s story: A second state championship and a great senior finish. For Bella, repeating as a state champion carried a weight she didn’t expect. Her second title felt less like a repeat and more like a celebration of all she pushed through this season. “It felt like a great way to end a blessed high school career,” she said. “The title means as much, if not even more, than the first time.” Her senior season was full of challenges- mental, physical, and emotional. “I came across so many more struggles this year compared to last,” she admitted. “I truly did not know if I would get to that line.” Entering the state meet, confidence wasn’t certain. “I was very unsure. You always have to fake it until you make it, but I did not know what to expect of myself or my competitors.” But the moment that everything felt right came late in the race. “I glanced at my dad coming around the baseball fields,” she said. “He had tears in his eyes and I knew I couldn’t let anyone beat me from there.” Her next chapter begins at West Virginia University- a place she calls home. “I couldn’t see myself running for anybody else but Sean Cleary,” she said. “I love my teammates, the education path I’ll follow, and the people I will be surrounded by.” With a nationally ranked Division 1 team and the No. 2 collegiate female runner as a teammate, Bella knows the standards are high- but she’s ready. “I have to be ready to step up to the plate and fill my role,” she said. Peter’s journey: From sixth grade experiment to state champion. Peter’s love of running started unexpectedly. He joined cross country in sixth grade to stay in shape for basketball season, but then discovered something more. “In trying to be better at basketball, I found out I was better at running,” he said. “I decided to give up basketball.” He approached training and racing with an attitude that moved him forward. “I trained with the belief I had never won, but raced with the confidence I had never lost.” Heading into the state meet, he knew he was in a good position- but it wasn’t the best week. “I had a slight sickness the week of states,” he said. “It concerned me, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough to keep me out of the race.” Being in the front came with pressure. “Not knowing how close other people were was somewhat intimidating,” he admitted. Looking ahead, Peter hopes to continue running in college, ideally on the East Coast, closer to family. “It’s a passion I don’t want to give up,” he said. Bella and Peter both led by example, and set new standards for their program. Their seasons prove that championships aren’t just won on race day. They’re made in the quiet moments, early mornings, the doubts, the goals- but believing you can reach it. A Historic Season: Coaches reflect on an accomplished year. This season there weren’t just individual victories, but accomplishments for the program as a whole. Especially for the boys’ team who won the state championship this year. Coach Shepler: 20+ years of coaching. Shepler sees this year is a culmination of everything that has been built over the years. She believes that every athlete that has previously and is currently in the program has helped it move forward: “All past runners who positively moved the program forward should take pride in this championship.” Watching the teams grow throughout the season she believes that large factors to this season’s success were discipline and consistency as a team. The athletes were determined to do something special together. Shepler started seeing the winning potential during the teams’ July practices. “I could see the hunger and determination in their eyes,” she stated. In the moment during the state championship the coaches didn’t initially realize that the boys had won. Peter and Will had consistently stayed at the front for the race, but Trinity was close behind. As more of our runners finished, Shelper states, “Coach Ingraham and I were doing the math and realized that we had won.” Shepler said that one of the most rewarding things about coaching was “seeing athletes achieve their dreams and sharing in those moments.” Although the season has come to an end Shepler hopes that the athletes will look back on this season and have a sense of pride and accomplishment. Coach Hilton: The win. Hilton stated that the boys’ team win meant “everything”. Not only was this win important to him, but even more for the community: “ Seeing how much it meant to so many people is what made it special.” When asked when he saw winning potential for the boys’ team this season he responded with “On September 27th at the Ripley Covered Bridge Invitational we had to race without Peter & Will and our guys finished 3rd only losing to Woodrow Wilson & GW who were strong AAAA schools that if we could be healthy late in the season these guys could win states.” Leading up to states Hilton went into it telling the athletes to be positive. He also focused on keeping the athletes focused on the race. Hilton let the athletes know where they were throughout the race and where they needed to finish. When asked about what he hopes the athletes will remember from the season and take away, he replied, “Not just the trophies- but the rain practices, water balloon fights, team bonding, and shared memories.” Hilton hopes that this win made it “cool” and that more students will join the program next season. With the guidance of the coaches, the boys team won 7 meets, finished 3rd without Peter & Will, and then finished 5th at the Louisville Classic out of 30 plus teams from all over the East Coast. Second year in a row Kanawha County Champs, Region 4 Champs and State Champs. Bella is the only girl to win individually from CCHS not once, but now twice and Peter is the only boy to win it individually; we're only the fourth school ever to have the individual girls and boys champion in the same year. By Reagan Stapleton and Aidan Anton